THE MAFIA'S PRISONER

The harness cut into my hips as I dangled twenty feet above the polished marble floor of the gallery. The beam of my headlamp bounced across the dimly lit room, casting eerie shadows on the walls. I took a deep breath as I scanned the whole place and finally saw the target. A priceless painting stolen from its rightful owner. Tonight, you are coming home."How are we doing, Maddy?" Miles' voice crackled in my ear, calm and confident as ever. He was my eyes and ears from the van parked two blocks away, monitoring the security feeds we had hacked into earlier."All clear so far," I whispered back, being careful not to make a sound that might echo through the hall. I adjusted my grip on the thin, reinforced cable suspending me in the air. Can't wait to go home and be in my PJ's. Slowly, I descended, inching closer to the canvas. My pulse quickened. The painting-"Cry"-hung in its glass case, untouched by time but tainted by the dirty hands that had stolen it. The case was protected by a

"Where the hell have you been?" Pag alalang tanong ni Ravika nang magkasalubong kami sa hallway. "And you look troubled, anong nangyare sa'yo?" I sighed, heavily. "May babae kasing nabastos sa loob, I had to help to her." Pero hindi naman sya mukhang nabastos, she was like about to get kidnapped. Still, it was harrasment. "Really? Should we call for help?" Napalitan ng pag alala ang ekspresyon niya.I rested my back against the wall, crossing both of my arms together. "You don't have to. She ran away when I get a hold of that guy." Napatingin lang ako sa sahig, inaalala ang mga nangyare kanina. "Parang may mga kasama yung lalaki kanina, he's japanese and it seems like may kailangan sila sa babae." Sabi ko na parang wala sa sarili."How did you know?" I looked up and met Ravika's eyes, "he's talking to someone with his earpiece on." Of course, I know that. It's our way of communicating with each other during our missions."That's indeed worrysome." She replied, "just brushed it off

"What's the word home have something to do about this?" Tetsu beside me laughed. "This is where we sleep, eat, shit and bring our women."Sya ang kasama ko pag pasok ng mansyon. Nagpaiwan si Seiji sa sinakyan naming wrangler dahil may inutos pa raw sakanya. May mga kasama pa itong sumakay nung pagkababa namin.This place is complete filth. It's a fucking huge mansion, even bigger than commander's—ang kaibahan lang dito ay amoy usok ng yosi, alak at mga babae na nagtitipid ng tela sakanila damit. "Suit yourself." Sabi naman ni Tetsu"Seryoso ka? Eh ayoko ngang huminga rito."Tetsu just laughed, shaking his head as if ako pa 'yung hindi naka-gets. Maybe I didn't. Maybe I didn't want to. Naglakad pa ako papasok, pero pakiramdam ko kailangan kong lumutang para lang 'di dumikit sa sahig. Mamahalin ang marble tiles, pero sa dami ng natuyong alak, sigarilyo, at kung ano pang kalat, parang mas bagay na itong demolition site kaysa sa bahay. The high ceilings, gold-trimmed walls, and grand

"You're kidding, right?" Sabi ko habang tumatawa sa pait. They want me to cook for them, after what I just did back there? Ang swerte naman yata nila kung ganun. "Well, it's either you cook or you can't go home." Ryu said in his sly smile. "You pick." Inis ko silang tinignan lahat. Nakaupo na sila at ako nalang ang nakatayo. Huminga ako nang malalim at marahang pumikit, pilit pinapakalma ang sarili dahil baka sumabog ako sa inis. "Fine." I forced a smile. "Great. You decide what to serve us." At ako pa mag iisip?"I will lead you to the kitchen." Ren offered, about to the stood up but the motherfucker eyed on him. "What?" He asked."Let her explore the base." Tugon niya habang nakatingin lang sa'kin. I frowned. "You really love getting into my nerves." "Well, sure, I do."Napairap nalang ako. Walang hiya talaga 'tong lalaking 'to.Wala rin naman akong choice, so without another word, I turned on my feet and walked out of the room. Hindi ko man lang alam kung saan ako pupunta, bu

Nanigas ako sa kinatatayuan ko. Parang huminto ang mundo ko nang makita ko sila Peter, Yeraz, at Miles.Hindi ako pwedeng magkamali. It's them. I'm literally seeing them now. "What the hell are you doing here?" Si Miles ang unang nakapagsalita. His voice was shaky, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His brows furrowed in confusion and something deeper—hurt? Relief?"H-Holy shit..." bulong ni Peter, nangingilid ang mata. "It's really you."Pero ang hindi ko kayang tingnan nang direkta ay si Yeraz. He wasn't saying anything, pero kitang-kita sa mga mata niya ang naglalagablab na emosyon. His jaw clenched. His fists tightened at his sides.Gusto kong tumakbo sa kanila.Gusto kong sabihin sa kanilang ilayo na nila ako rito, na tulungan nila akong makabalik.Pero bago pa ako makagalaw, may mahigpit na kamay na pumulupot sa braso ko."Miles—""Madelaine." Madiing boses ni Tetsu sa tabi ko. His grip was firm—not painful, but a warning. "Don't."Napalingon ako sakanya, naguguluha